Periodical Review – Summary from the Jihadi Forums – The First Half of March 2014
This report summarizes notable events discussed on jihadist Web forums during the first half of March 2014. Following are the main points covered in the report:
- The rift between the Al-Nusra Front and the leadership of Al-Qaeda, and the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS), is also evident in the cyber realm. Several jihadist media institutions and jihadist Web forums announce their support for the ISIS. In addition, the ISIS also receives support in a statement distributed by individuals who identify themselves as former Guantánamo Bay prisoners.
- Tensions among organizations in Syria are on the rise. A member of the Al-Nusra Front’s Shura Council and a spokesman for the ISIS publish recorded speeches in which they hurl sharp accusations at one another.
- A new Egyptian organization called “I’dam” (Execution) threatens to launch an assassination campaign, to begin on March 19, against senior Egyptian government officials in protest of the military coup led by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Another new Egyptian jihadist organization called the “Ansar Al-Sharia” Battalions in Egypt also announced a military campaign against the Egyptian government.
- The Ibn Tamiyya jihadist media institution calls on Muslims to take immediate action in order to free Muslim prisoners being held in jails in Israel and the Palestinian Authority. In order to accomplish this, the media institution suggests kidnapping Israeli soldiers as a bargaining chip for a prisoner exchange or establishing special units trained to carry out prison breaks. Attempted jail breaks by the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan, the Taliban-Pakistan and other jihadist organizations should serve as a model, according to the institution.
- Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) publishes a new edition of the magazine, Inspire, in English, intended for Muslims living in Western countries. Among the topics covered in the current edition are a call for Muslims in the West to carry out individual terrorist attacks against Western countries using methods such as car bombs.
